PlayStation 5 DualSense Edge review: Is this pro controller worth it?

The demand for high-end console controllers was once filled exclusively by third-party companies like Scuf and Astro, but Microsoft jumped into the fray with its Xbox One Elite controller back in 2015 (with a hardware refresh in 2019’s Series 2). Professional gamers — and serious amateurs — flocked to these gamepads, which genuinely offered an advantage over the competition, thanks to paddles on the back and customizable sensitivity settings for analog sticks and triggers. Given the success of these controllers, it was surprising that Sony only dipped a toe into the same waters with a back-button attachment that slapped onto the PlayStation 4’s existing DualShock 4 controller. Sony didn’t bother with the bells and whistles.

The DualSense Edge is a new high-end controller from Sony. It will be available Jan. 26, at $199.99 and includes many features that made the Elite controller so successful: programmeable rear buttons, custom profiles and adjustable triggers, as well as analog sticks and triggers. Sony is coming late, but are they really ready?

DualSense Edge features set

Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment

If you’re already familiar with the PS5’s DualSense controller, you should know that the DualSense Edge comes with all the same benefits: the adaptive triggers, the haptic feedback, and the bizarre microphone/speaker setup that makes you wonder why your controller is talking to you. However, there are some differences.

DualSense Edge has back buttons available in either half-dome or paddles. Despite the four included attachments, there are only two slots for back buttons, so you’ll have to decide which of the two styles you prefer. You will know the paddles from your Xbox Elite controller. They rest under your normal controller grip so you can simply squeeze to activate them. While this seems convenient, I found myself — both with the Elite controller and with the Edge — accidentally activating the paddles during tense moments of clenching.

That’s why I’m thrilled at Sony’s inclusion of half-dome nubs. The nubs can be reached from just slightly above the surface, so that you have a natural grip but two more inputs available with your index and middle fingers. The click they make when activated is satisfying and the pair have been in a fierce battle with each other. God of war Ragnarok’It was so much easier to be a Valkyrie Queen, as I could keep my thumbs on those analog sticks and fire arrows using the back buttons.

That said, it’s hard to ignore the fact that the Xbox Elite Series 2 controller has four back button inputs to the DualSense Edge’s two. The vast majority of gamers will be satisfied with two back buttons. But if you wanted to program all of the face buttons — or all of the D-pad inputs — to your back buttons, you simply couldn’t do that on the DualSense Edge.

Sony’s solution for this limited button set is the inclusion of function buttons located below each analog stick. By holding down a function key, you can choose a profile. Every profile allows you to completely change all the buttons on the controller (including the back) and the sensitivities and dead zones.

The most obvious use case: Say you’re playing Spider-Man: Miles MoralesYou are ready to move to Warzone: Call of Duty. Each game may have its own ideal buttons mapping. These function buttons let you swap them in an instant — you just hold one down while hitting a face button to select a profile. It’s a very slick process, and the menus for creating new profiles are super intuitive. The Elite Series 2 controller does offer the same functionality, though it’s slightly clumsier there, requiring multiple taps to cycle through the four profiles.

Sony also offers trigger stops that are similar to the Elite Series 2 and allow you to reduce the amount of trigger pulls needed before the triggers activate. Using this feature will disable the adaptive trigger functionality, but for serious players, that’s a small price to pay for increased responsiveness and diminished finger strain.

Is it time to upgrade the analog sticks

Photo by Russ Frushtick/Polygon

The DualSense Edge has a feature that Elite Series 2 doesn’t: it can replace both analog sticks modules. The life expectancy of controllers has been decreasing in this era of analog stick movement. Sony seems to realize that you probably don’t want to pay for another full-priced DualSense Edge if one of your analog sticks starts acting funny, so the Edge allows you to slide out the entire thing and swap in a new one (sold separately for $19.99).

It’s a strange feature. On one hand, yeah, it’s great that you don’t have to junk the entire controller — or ship it back to Sony — if an analog stick acts up. This is, on the other hand a loud warning that expensive items are likely to fail. PS5 owners starting started seeing some DualSense drift issues pretty early in the console’s life cycle, and this functionality feels like Sony acknowledging that modern analog sticks will just fail as a matter of course. And not only that, when they do fail, you’ll have to pay Sony for the privilege of a quick fix, rather than being able to rely on the company having come up with a more durable design in the first place.

There have been many complaints about the Elite Series 2 (direct competitor to DualSense Edge), regarding its durability. The most frequent problem was the failure of bumpers. So I guess that if you’re looking for a first-party pro controller, you’re kinda damned if you do. It’s too early to say whether the DualSense Edge will suffer the same durability issues, which is to say: Maybe wait and see how first wave of controllers reacts to steady use.

Is there anything else in this box?

Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment

You get a nice carrying case for the DualSense Edge, which protects all of the accessories. Inside, there’s a braided USB cable for charging, a cable lock to prevent untimely unpluggings of your controller (presumably most useful in tournament settings), and a few different styles of analog sticks. If you happen to be one of the people who miss the half-dome analog sticks of the PlayStation era, good news: You’ve got two different heights to choose from in addition to the concave style that comes on all DualSense controllers. (Also: What’s wrong with you? These analog sticks were terrible. [Ed. note: No, they were not.]

The carrying case is a nice touch, especially since it has a Velcro door that lets you slide in your USB cable and charge the controller while it’s safe in its cocoon. It all feels very premium and high end, which, for the $200 you’re paying, it should.

But what about the design?

The controller’s appearance is largely a matter of personal taste. The DualSense Edge is fine, I think. I don’t think it’s ugly, but I do think it’s a downgrade from the standard DualSense controller, which feels more uniform. The Edge’s most glaring design feature is a patch of glossy plastic around the center of the controller. It is this removable area that allows access to the interchangeable analog stick modules. I’m not just sure it has the premium look and feel that Sony is generally known for. Given that it’s just a piece of plastic, it wouldn’t surprise me if Sony sold replacement plates in different colors and finishes like the company does for the PlayStation 5 — but it’s a drag that something fancier wasn’t included in the box to begin with.

While we’re talking about the design, Microsoft now allows you to fully customize the look of an Elite Series 2 controller, changing the color of the buttons, triggers, faceplate — you name it. The price for custom gamepads is $10 more than the DualSense Edge. if you buy all the accessories), but it’s a nice option that Sony is, at present, missing.

That’s the price!

The DualSense Edge comes in at $199.99 — half the cost of the digital-only PS5 model. That’s… pretty steep, though it’s not far off from Microsoft’s offering of the Elite Series 2, which is $179.99 (although sales frequently drop it down to around $150). I’m sure that professional streamers and esports athletes will have no problem spending the money and writing it off on their taxes. For the average person, however, it is a large amount to spend. Is it worth the extra money to enjoy PS5 games? Unquestionably. It gives you an advantage to have the ability to simultaneously aim and jump. FortniteThe back buttons are a great help. Yes.

That said, these days I’d be more comfortable buying a high-end premium controller if I knew it was going to last me at least five years. But until we get several hundred hours of gameplay with the DualSense Edge, we won’t really know what sort of life span this thing will have. Given that, it’s harder to make that long-term investment.

Also, again, it’s $200. And it’s not like you’re going to zoom up the leaderboards just because you’ve got two more inputs at your disposal. It’s the epitome of a nice-to-have — but if you play a ton of PS5 games, maybe that’s all you really need to justify it.

DualSense Edge January 26th. Sony supplied the controller used in this review. Vox Media also has affiliate relationships. Although these partnerships do not impact editorial content, Vox Media could earn commissions for products sold via affiliate links. Find out more. additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.